BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:TODAY & tomorrow “Canadian Idol” auditions move to Oshawa ON’s Oshawa Centre, the final stop on the 11-city tour that began in Vancouver in FEBRUARY . . . TODAY “Children of Hurin”, an unfinished book by “Lord of the Rings” author JRR Tolkien completed by his son, is being published (apparently Christopher Tolkien still hasn’t milked his father’s good name for enough cash) . . . The court-ordered auction for the rights to OJ Simpson’s scrapped book “If I Did It” that was scheduled for TODAY looks to be postponed after the company holding the rights, Lorraine Brooke Associates (said to be owned by Simpson’s kids), filed for bankruptcy FRIDAY. . . Fashion designer Bobby Trendy has confirmed he will star alongside Willa Ford in the upcoming “Anna Nicole Smith” bio-movie, playing – what else? – an outlandishly peculiar designer (in other words, himself) . . . Clothing from Anna Nicole Smith’s aborted 2004 fashion line, ‘Tex Sex’, is being auctioned on eBay, including a hot pink tank top & 3 other trashy items – for $10,000 . . . Former “Frasier” stars (NBC) Kelsey Grammar, David Hyde Pierce & John Mahoney are looking to reunite in a Broadway stage production and are currently searching for a play that might fit the bill . . . Movie acting couple Ryan Gosling & Rachel McAdams, who co-starred in “The Notebook”, are denying reports that they’ve planned a secret wedding, saying they aren’t even planning to get engaged anytime soon (they were both born in St Joseph’s Hospital in London ON) . . . And just in case you really care, a Hollywood publicist-turned-blogger claims that actress Lindsay Lohan is now dating popular party DJ/wannabe rock singer Samantha Ronson, who up to now was just her BFF (oh be still our collective hearts!).

BS MUSIC NOTES:• Avril Lavigne – TODAY her 3rd album, “The Best Damn Thing”, is released. Her rocker hubby Deryck Whibley (Sum 41) snapped the photos for the cover art. She’ll be stumping to promote it on both “Good Morning America” (ABC) & “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS).
• Dave Stewart – TODAY a track the producer/musician composed for “Earth Day” on behalf of Green Peace called “Go Green” is released via iTunes. The recording features former Eurythmics bandmate Annie Lennox, as well as Sarah McLachlan and Bonnie Raitt.
• DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince – Will Smith is planning to put his acting career on hold to reunite with his old hip-hop partner Jeffrey Townes for a tour and possibly a new album at the end of THIS YEAR.
• Gwen Stefani – She’s the cover girl for the “Harper’s Bazaar” ‘Summer Fashion Issue’, with a photo spread inspired by the movie classic “My Fair Lady”.
• Gym Class Heroes – TONIGHT the “Cupid’s Chokehold” band does “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” (NBC).
• Lil’ Romeo – The 17-year-old has reportedly become the first rap star to receive a full athletic scholarship. He’s put both his music (“Game Time”) and movies (“Crush On U”) on hold after being signed to play basketball for the USC Trojans.
• Paul McCartney – He’s calling a new song “Pizza and Fairy Tales”, an insult John Lennon once used to describe the lack of depth in Paul’s songs.
• Ricky Martin – TODAY he guests on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/CityTV).
• Silversun Pickups – TONIGHT the LA indie rockers (“Lazy Eye”) are on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC).
• Three Days Grace – TONIGHT they perform “Never Too Late” on the “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC/A Channel).

TODAY’S VIDEO RELEASES:• “Freedom Writers” ( Drama ): 2-time Oscar-winner Hilary Swank plays a new teacher in a tough high school who uses creative writing to inspire a class of hardened kids to learn tolerance, apply themselves, and pursue higher education. Co-stars British actress Imelda Staunton (“Harry Potter”) & Patrick Dempsey ( ‘Dr McDreamy’ on “Grey’s Anatomy”).
• “The Last King of Scotland” ( Historical Drama ): Based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin’s regime during the 1970s as seen by his personal physician. Forest Whitaker’s performance won him the ‘Best Actor’ Oscar. Co-stars James McAvoy & Gillian Anderson.
• “Notes on a Scandal” ( Drama ): Cate Blanchett stars as a pottery teacher who enters into an affair with one of her students, causing upheaval in her personal and professional lives. The twists and turns of the story are noted in the acerbic diary of another teacher (Judi Dench), a domineering and lonely individual who threatens to expose the scandal.
• “Smokin’ Aces” ( Crime Comedy ): Jeremy Piven (“Entourage”) plays a magician-turned-snitch who decides to turn state’s evidence and testify against the mob. That leads a wack of hitmen to look for ways to whack him and claim the million-dollar bounty on his head. Co-stars Ben Affleck, Vancouver actor Ryan Reynolds (“Van Wilder”), Ray Liotta (“Goodfellas”), Andy Garcia (“Ocean’s 11-12”), rapper Common, and – in her bigscreen debut – singer Alicia Keys.
• Also released TODAY: “Larry King Live: Greatest Interviews Collection”; “The Larry Sanders Show: The Complete 1st Season”; “Mork & Mindy: The Complete 2nd Season”; National Lampoon’s hockey comedy “Pucked”; and “Spider-Man 2.1 Widescreen Extended Cut Version”.

BS LAW & DISORDER:• Cincinnati OH police charge that a local mom made her 4 children – ages 5, 9, 15 & 16 – open library accounts under 70 different aliases … so they could steal hundreds of DVDs from the system. Maria Daniels, who used 22 separate IDs herself, then sold the DVDs to video-game stores. (She’ll likely get 5-to-10 in the slammer just for the ‘overdue’ fines.)
• Police in Chongqing, China, have now been equipped with … video hats. Lightweight flashlight-shaped cameras have been clipped to the side of patrol officers’ caps which link to a 1-gig digital video-recorder attached to their belts. The recordings can be used for gathering evidence, some of which may be edited for TV. (Soon the Chinese will also be singing along to “Bad boys, bad boys whatcha gonna do …”)
• A Russian man was in the clear after beating a charge in Pyatigorsk City Court of trying to steal a cellphone from a woman at a health clinic. But his freedom was brief. As Alexander Kistko was leaving the courtroom, he snuck into a judge’s office and tried to steal another cellphone. He was busted and now faces up to 4 years in prison. (If at first you don’t succeed …)

SCIENTISTS SAY:A BS compendium of recent ‘discoveries’ …
• Scientists say … girls outdo guys when it comes to ogling. Kinsey Institute researchers using eye-tracking technology to pinpoint what people looked at when shown a series of racy photos, found that men looked at faces more than women. Both ogled the exposed privates equally.
• Scientists say … the taste of chocolate gives a bigger thrill than kissing. In experiments, Middlesex University researchers who monitored the brain waves & heart rates of romantically-involved couples, found that consuming dark chocolate provided a long-lasting body and brain buzz which, in many cases, lasted 4 times as long as a passionate kiss.
• Scientists say … women with friends live longer. A 9-year study has found that the women who had the most friends cut their risk of death by more than 60%. That’s kind of amazing considering the amount of back-stabbing female ‘friends’ get involved in.
• Scientists say … cellphones may be killing off the bees. Studies at Germany’s University of Koblenz-Landau have found that bees refuse to return to their hives when cellphones are placed nearby. The theory is that radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees’ navigation systems, preventing the famously fine navigators from finding their way home. One thing that is for certain … in both North America and Europe there’s been an outbreak of ‘Colony Collapse Disorder’ (CCD), an abrupt disappearance of the bees that pollinate crops and supply us with honey. (Albert Einstein once said that if bees disappeared, we’d only have 4 years left.)

GREENER POTS:Gardeners are normally really into the environment but there’s one thing every gardener buys that routinely gets tossed in the trash … those plastic flower pots used to grow seedlings. They’re on sale everywhere, especially in springtime, and they don’t decompose when they end up in landfills. Fortunately, researchers are looking to develop biodegradable pots to replace all that plastic. Experiments are currently underway using pots molded from corn, soybeans, rice, chicken feathers and … cow manure. (Cool, a plant and its fertilizer all in one package!)
– “Philadelphia Inquirer”

CHIMPS ARE PEOPLE TOO: In a test case in Austria, animal rights campaigners have gone to court seeking to break the ‘species barrier’ by having a 26-year-old chimpanzee by the name of Hiasl granted human status and the rights that go along with it. Their ‘evidence’: He recognizes himself in the mirror, plays hide-and-seek, and breaks into fits of giggles when tickled. (And I’m a monkey’s uncle.)
– “Social Studies”

WACKIEST USB DEVICES:Actual items on the market that can be plugged into a USB outlet on your computer …
• USB Warmer Slippers … Yup, just plug ‘em in and slip ‘em on. Ahhh!
• Human Thumb Flash Drive … No one will steal this replica, they’ll be too busy upchucking.
• Open-Fingered Heating Gloves … When your hands are cold but you still gotta keyboard.
• Hamster Wheel … The faster you type, the faster the rodent runs, the faster the wheel spins.
• Rechargeable Shaver … Zap that 5 o’clock shadow before the boss rolls in!
• USB Kitty … Just as you’ve finally trained your cat to stay off your keyboard they come up with a 4-inch-high plug-in kitty that bobs its head demanding attention, then meows when you pet it.
• Beverage Chiller … Everyone’s got a coffee cup warmer, but this is a ‘cold-plate’ that drops your beverage’s temp to 45 F (7 C). Perfect for brewskis!
• Laser-Guided Missile Launcher … Escalate your inter-desk warfare with this mini-missile launcher that allows for laser sighting. Sounds like something off an episode of “The Office”.
• StealthSwitch – Instantly hides whatever you were looking at that wasn’t SFW and displays an important-looking spreadsheet or any other application you want.
• ScreenSmasher … A foam ax with a sensor. Whack the screen and your Windows desktop displays an image of shattered glass along with crash SFX. Therapy was never so cheap!
– “PC World”

FASHIONABLE SAFETY:UK company Bladerunner is making stab-proof hoodies lined with Kevlar, the material used in body armor. The $130-tops are intended for use by the British military but may also be adapted to be used as protective wear for students at inner city schools. (Da hood for in da hood.)
– Reuters

LYING TO THE LARGE:Clothing retailers are increasingly being accused of ‘vanity sizing’ – tagging items as smaller sizes than they actually are. The trend, which began in the US and is now spreading elsewhere, is intended to flatter customers, making them feel they are thinner then the reality. Investigations show that one retailer is selling jeans in which the actual measurement exceeds the tagged size by 6 inches. Critics says a discrepancy of 1-or-2 inches can be excused, but anything beyond that is duping the customer. (No no, not at all. It’s the funhouse mirrors in the change rooms that are duping the customers.)
– “The Times of London

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .• “Blah Blah Blah Day”, a day to do all the things that people have been nagging you to do. This might include quitting a habit, losing weight, or working on home projects.

• “Cheeseball Day”, so who would you like to nominate?

• “Equality Day” in Canada, marking the date when the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms came into force. THIS MONTH is also the 25th anniversary of the Canadian Constitution, signed in 1982 by Queen Elizabeth II in Ottawa.

• “International Ford Mustang Day”, a salute to the collectible car that debuted 43 years ago on this date. The base price of a 1964 ‘Stang – $2,368.

AND REMEMBER . . .[Wed] CPAs Goof-Off Day
[Wed] Pet Owners Independence Day
[Wed] Teach Children to Save Day
[Wed] International Jugglers Day
[Wed] Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day
[Thurs] High Five Day
[Thurs] Garlic Day
[Sat] NBA playoffs begin
This Week Is … Library Forgiveness Week
This Month Is … Welding Month